Costa Rican president survives second Congress immunity vote / Photo: © AFP/File
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Costa Rican president survives second Congress immunity vote
Costa Rica's conservative President Rodrigo Chaves on Tuesday survived a second attempt to strip him of immunity so he can be prosecuted for alleged wrongdoing.
The Central American country's congress voted 35 to 21 in favor of removing his immunity -- three ballots below the 38-vote majority needed for the motion to pass the 57-seat chamber. The president of the legislature announced the result.
In July, the country's Supreme Court asked congress to take away 64-year-old Chaves's immunity so he could be put on trial for alleged corruption.
In that case, prosecutors claimed he had forced a communications agency hired by the presidency to give $32,000 to his friend.
The presidency allegedly used funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, a multi-lateral development bank, to contract the agency.
In September, lawmakers rejected the Supreme Court's request, only for Costa Rica's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to approach Congress with the same request but for a different alleged crime.
The TSE wants to prosecute Chaves for allegedly using his presidential office to campaign for his political party ahead of February 2026 elections.
Presidential terms in Costa Rica are limited to one.
Chaves, who looks to El Salvador's iron-fisted President Nayib Bukele for inspiration on fighting a surge in organized crime, has backed one of his former ministers, Laura Fernandez, to replace him.
M.Betschart--VB